Device for the Extraction of Electrical Charge Carriers from a Charge Carrier Generation Space and Method for Operating Such a Device

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for extracting electrical charge carriers from a charge carrier generation chamber with at least one electrode arrangement for extracting charge carriers, wherein the at least one electrode arrangement has at least a first grid electrode and a second grid electrode with corresponding openings. The first and the second grid electrode each contain at least one first electrically conductive grid electrode region, wherein the at least one first grid electrode region of the first grid electrode is configured in a first layer and the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode is configured in a second layer. The first layer and the second layer are arranged one after the other within the electrode arrangement in the particle emission direction and are spaced from one another by a first distance along the particle emission direction, wherein the at least one first grid electrode region of the first grid electrode forms a first electrically conductive layer portion in the first layer. In addition, a second electrically conductive layer portion, which is electrically insulated from the first layer portion, is configured in the first layer. The second layer portion is formed by at least one second electrically conductive grid electrode region of the first grid electrode or of the second grid electrode, and the second layer portion is electrically conductively connected to the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode. The device according to the invention for extracting charge carriers thus represents an electrically switchable extraction grid electrode arrangement by the aid of which the beam characteristics of a particle beam of extracted charge carriers can be changed.

1 . A device for extracting electrical charge carriers from a charge carrier generation chamber with at least one electrode arrangement for extracting charge carriers, wherein the at least one electrode arrangement has at least a first grid electrode and a second grid electrode having corresponding openings, each of the first and the second grid electrode containing at least one first electrically conductive grid electrode region, wherein the at least one first grid electrode region of the first grid electrode is configured in a first layer and the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode is configured in a second layer, wherein the first layer and the second layer are arranged within the electrode arrangement successively in the particle emission direction and are spaced from each other by a first distance along the particle emission direction, wherein the at least one first grid electrode region of the first grid electrode forms a first electrically conductive layer portion in the first layer, and a second electrically conductive layer portion is configured in the first layer, wherein the first layer portion and the second layer portion are electrically insulated from each other, characterized in that the second layer portion is formed by at least one second electrically conductive grid electrode region of the first grid electrode or of the second grid electrode and the second layer portion is electrically conductively connected to the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode. 
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one first grid electrode region of the first grid electrode and the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode are arranged within the respective grid electrode so that they each adjoin the outer lateral periphery of the respective grid electrode. 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the first grid electrode comprises only the at least one first grid electrode region and the second grid electrode comprises at least one second grid electrode region which forms the second layer portion of the first layer. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the at least one second grid electrode region of the second grid electrode is configured so thick that a first surface of the at least one second grid electrode region is located in the first layer and a second surface of the at least one second grid electrode region, which is opposite to the first surface, is located in the second layer. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the at least one second grid electrode region of the second grid electrode has the same thickness as the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the transitions between the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode and the at least one second grid electrode region of the second grid electrode run continuously on both surfaces of the second grid electrode. 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode completely maps the second layer and the at least one second grid electrode region of the second grid electrode is at least spaced apart from the at least one first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode in some lateral sections of the second grid electrode region. 
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the first grid electrode further comprises at least one second grid electrode region, which forms the second layer portion of the first layer. 
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the openings for the charge carrier passage in at least one second grid electrode region of the first grid electrode or of the second grid electrode are equal to or different from the openings for the charge carrier passage in at least a first grid electrode region of the second grid electrode with respect to their lateral extension and/or their circumferential geometry. 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the second layer portion is formed by a coherent second grid electrode region of the first grid electrode or of the second grid electrode. 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the second layer portion is formed by a plurality of second grid electrode regions of the first grid electrode or of the second grid electrode that are spaced from each other, wherein the plurality of second grid electrode regions that are spaced from each other have the same or different circumferential geometries and are distributed uniformly or non-uniformly over the lateral extension of the first layer. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one electrode arrangement has at least one further, electrically conductive grid electrode provided with corresponding openings, which comprises at least one first grid electrode region in a further layer, wherein the further layer and the layer adjacent to it are spaced from each other by a further distance along the particle emission direction. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that a further grid electrode is arranged adjacent to the second grid electrode on the side of the second grid electrode facing away from the first grid electrode, and this further grid electrode further has at least one second grid electrode region which is arranged in the second layer and is connected electrically conductively to the at least one first grid electrode region of this further grid electrode, wherein the lateral arrangement of the at least one second grid electrode region of this further grid electrode within the second layer corresponds to the lateral arrangement of the at least one second grid electrode region of the second grid electrode within the first layer. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that one, several or all of the grid electrodes contained in the electrode arrangement are arranged individually detachable from a holder of the electrode arrangement or from one of the other grid electrodes. 
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the device has a plurality of electrode arrangements for extracting electrical charge carriers, wherein several electrode arrangements are arranged side by side in a first direction along the lateral extension of the device and at most two electrode arrangements are arranged side by side in a second direction along the lateral extension of the device so that the plurality of electrode arrangements cover almost the entire lateral extension of the device, and wherein the plurality of electrode arrangements have the same or different patterns of the second layer portions. 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one electrode arrangement successively comprises a plasma grid electrode, a switching grid electrode and an acceleration grid electrode in the particle emission direction, wherein the switching grid electrode is the first grid electrode and the plasma grid electrode or the acceleration grid electrode is the second grid electrode. 
     
     
         17 . A method for operating a device according to  claim 16 , characterized in that, depending on a desired beam characteristic of the particle beam passing through one of the at least one electrode arrangement, each of the at least one electrode arrangement is controlled with the aid of a device for generating one or more electrical voltages and a switching device, so that the at least one first grid electrode region of the switching grid electrode of the specific electrode arrangement is charged with a first potential and the acceleration grid electrode of the specific electrode arrangement is charged with a second potential, wherein:
 in a first switching state, the first potential has a first value U 11  and the second potential has a second value U 21,  both of which are suitable for enabling the passage of charge carriers through the corresponding grid electrode regions.   in a second switching state, the first potential has a third value U 12  and the second potential has a fourth value U 22,  wherein the third value U 12  is suitable for preventing the passage of charge carriers through the grid electrode regions of the switching grid electrode and of the acceleration grid electrode corresponding to the first layer portion, while the fourth value U 22  is suitable to allow the passage of charge carriers through the grid electrode regions of the switching grid electrode and of the acceleration grid electrode corresponding to the second layer portion, and   in a third switching state, the first potential has a fifth value U 13  and the second potential has a sixth value U 23,  both of which are suitable for preventing the passage of charge carriers through the corresponding grid electrode regions.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , characterized in that the first potential and/or the second potential are applied in a pulsed manner. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 17 , characterized in that the plasma grid electrode is charged with a third potential U beam . 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 17 , characterized in that the electrode arrangement has, in the particle emission direction, past the acceleration grid electrode, an electrically conductive ground grid electrode provided with corresponding openings, which comprises at least one first grid electrode region in a third layer, wherein the second layer and the third layer are spaced from each other by a second distance along the particle emission direction, and the ground grid electrode is grounded. 
     
     
         21 . A method for processing the surface of a substrate using one or more particle beams from at least one device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that, during the processing of the substrate, the beam characteristic of the one or more particle beams from the at least one device for extracting electrical charge carriers from a charge carrier generation chamber is changed in a defined manner as a function of a known property pattern of the substrate surface and of the method progress with the aid of the method according to one of  claims 17  to  20 . 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , characterized in that a plurality of particle beams from at least one device for extracting electrical charge carriers from a charge carrier generation chamber impinge simultaneously on the substrate, wherein the plurality of particle beams have the same or different beam characteristics. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , characterized in that a plurality of particle beams impinge on a common area on the substrate surface, wherein the plurality of particle beams have different beam characteristics, and wherein the common area approximately corresponds to the impingement area of the impinging particle beam which has the largest impingement area of all impinging particle beams.